


Watching: The Promised Neverland

by LadyVolcanoLauncher



Series: A Big Ball Of Wibbly Wobbly Timey Whimey Stuff [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, 天狼 Sirius the Jaeger | Sirius the Jaeger (Anime), 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs, 約束のネバーランド | Yakusoku no Neverland | The Promised Neverland (Anime)
Genre: Characters Watching the Show, F/M, Family Bonding, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Other, Parental Dazatsu, Parental Gracia Hughes, Parental Maes Hughes, Parental Riza Hawkeye, Parental Roy Mustang, Protective Edward Elric, Protective Everyone, Team as Family, These poor babies, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:48:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29137353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyVolcanoLauncher/pseuds/LadyVolcanoLauncher
Summary: Giving a fangirl with a need to fix everything access to the multi-verse is never a good idea.
Relationships: Dazai Osamu/Nakajima Atsushi (Bungou Stray Dogs), Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell, Gracia Hughes/Maes Hughes, Naoe Ryouko/Yuliy, Norman/Ray (The Promised Neverland), Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Series: A Big Ball Of Wibbly Wobbly Timey Whimey Stuff [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138361
Comments: 18
Kudos: 54





	1. This Is The Hard Part

**Author's Note:**

> I probably should've thought this through... oh well too late now I suppose.

I stared at the empty theatre in front of me. It wasn't my best idea. And technically, I wasn't supposed to be doing this. But, I was tired and hurting and needed a distraction. This was the best I could come up with. I picked up the violin at my side. This is what I would use to bring them here. I took a deep breath, and tried not to think about the amount of rules I was breaking just by putting them in the same room together. The music wafted through the theatre, taking on the form of a thick mist that obscured almost the entire place. I stared mindlessly into the distance, fighting to keep my breath even. I was shaking badly and felt unsteady on my feet. Deep, slow, even breaths. Breath in. Breath out. repeat until calm. I shifted as the song came to an end, the mist dissipating. There they are.

Sitting in front of me were a group of unique individuals, none of whom were from the same universe. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Some of them did in fact come from the same universes. But, that wasn't the point, the point was that they're here, and very confused by the looks of things. "Hello!", I shouted. Everyone's gaze snapped to me and I prepared myself chaos. Sure enough, I was being yelled at from all sides. I let them go at it for a second just to get it out of their systems. Aright, now to shut them up. I took a deep breath, "SHUT IT!!!!!!!!!"

Everything stopped. I smiled, "Feel better?"-I didn't wait for a reply-"Now, I'm sure you're wondering why you're all here. To answer said question. You're all from different dimensions. You're here to react to yourselves and each other. this includes your past and your future. Now each of your universes has names. Alongside this there are main characters. In this case i will be announcing a main hero alongside the name of their universe. Please note that some universes have more than one main hero. Now, are you ready? No? Too bad I'm starting anyway. When I say your name stand next to me. From _Bungou Stray Dogs_ , Nakajima Atsushi."

I watched the snow haired teen stand up much amusement of his coworkers, boss, and the port mafia. He stumbled as he made his way to my side, eliciting chuckles from the other watchers.

"From _Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood_ , Major Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric."

Ed and Al's presence inspired curiosity rather than amusement. They were complete opposites of each other after all. "From _Sirius the Jeager_ , Yuliy."

Yuliy seemed startled as if he didn't expect to be the main hero. Thought judging from the expressions on his coworkers faces, they clearly weren't surprised. Interesting.

"And finally, from _The Promised Neverland_. Emma, Ray, and Norman." The immediate whispers and concerned looks at the sight of three 12 year olds were silenced by an excited shout from Emma who catapulted herself across the seats, and then ran along the tops of the seats much to surprise of everyone except the Grace Field children who sighed at the sight. She was followed by Norman who ran after her, and Ray who followed at a more sedate pace.

"Now that that's over with. Everyone take your seats you names written on the backs of the chairs." In order from left to right, the seating was: Ed, Al, Emma, Yuliy, Ray, Atsushi, Norman. Everyone else sat with their respective groups with the exception of the Grace Field Orphans who I'd scattered across the groups evenly. "Alright, let the show begin! Starting with The Promised Neverland." I played my self to one of the Balcony seats with my violin, much to the shock of the people below. I collapsed into a seat. God that was exhausting. How does everyone else do this without going insane? I watched as the screen lit up to the first episode.


	2. 121045

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything huuurts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This hurt me to write.

"Alrighty, people. Buckle up, cause this one'll be a doozy." I ginned down at everyone as they looked at each other dubiously, not quite sure what to with my 'enthusiasm'. I'd cheered up by the time I got to the balcony, and now I was feeling a little sadistic. These poor, poor, souls.

**We are given a view of a brick tunnel, the sides lined with doors. The camera switches to a blurred figure that clears to reveal a small orange-haired child, EMMA. She is gripping metal bars.**

Emma blushed and giggled awkwardly as cooing erupted around the theater. It was one thing to be cooed over by her younger siblings and **~~Mom~~**. It was another thing entirely to be cooed over by strangers. She shot a glare at Norman, who was trying and failing to hide his laughter, and Ray who wasn't bothering to hide his laughter at all.

**EMMA, wide-eyed, curious: What is this?**

**NORMAN, offscreen as we are given another view of the tunnel: It's a gate. It connects the inside and outside.**

**EMMA: Outside, huh? We've never been outside.**

"Wait, really?", Philip blurted. "You've never left? Not even once?" The Grace Field children all shifted uncomfortably. None of them were really sure how to answer him.

**NORMAN: That's because we've been here ever since we were born.**

Atsushi frowned. Something seemed... off. He didn't know why though.

**The camera gives a view of the gate, giving us a view of three small figures obscured by the gate.**

**The camera stills on the third child RAY, who is black-haired. He is silent.**

Ray stopped laughing as the cooing turned from Emma to him. He glared at the ground, sliding down in his seat, arms crossed. Emma shot him a smug grin. "Ha! It's your turn now." Norman exploded at Emma's comment, no longer able to contain his laughter. Ray scowled. _Just you wait Norman_ , he thought. _You were there too. Soon, it'll be your turn._

**EMMA, smiling: Mom always tells us, doesn't she? "Don't go near the gate or the fence in the back of the forest because it's dangerous, okay?"**

"If it's dangerous then why are you down there?" Riza gave them a look and they shifted nervously. She was scary. Except. Her presence was strangely reassuring. What were they supposed to do with that? ~~**It was nothing like Mom was. This was somehow better**.~~

**RAY, collected, annoyed: That's obviously a lie.**

Everyone frowned. How was that a lie?

**NORMAN: Really?**

**EMMA, excited: Hey, Ray! What do you want to do if you go outside?**

Ray looked up, "I was thinking I could be a Detective. Or an author if that doesn't work out." Ranpo perked up, zeroing in on Ray.

Emma grinned, "Those sound like great ideas!"

Norman grinned and nodded, "Whichever you choose you'll be great at. Or you could do both."

**The Camera pans over Ray and a white-haired child, NORMAN.**

**RAY, uncertain: I don't know. What about you?**

Norman squeaked and grinned awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. That was awkward.

**EMMA, enthusiastic, cheering: I want to ride a giraffe!!**

"EEH!? I did say that!?"-Emma looked between Ray and the screen in disbelief-"And you remembered!?"

Gilda spoke up, wringing her hands, "Is that really surprising Emma? Ray's always had the best memory out of all of us." This sparked a round of agreements from the rest of the children, all of whom were familiar with Ray's absurdly good memory. This spawned some curious looks from the adults and teens in the room. Just how smart was this kid?

**RAY, back to the gate: Good luck.**

**NORMAN, grabbing the gate: I wonder... I wonder what this gate is protecting us from?**

**The camera pans over all three silent children.**

"That's a good question", Ed muttered. There didn't seem to be anything dangerous, so why the big gate? Roy narrowed his eyes and looked at Riza. A silent order. **_Pay attention_**. **_Something isn't right here_ ** . Riza nodded. **_Yes, sir_**. **_I noticed._ **

**Music starts, upbeat:**

**Fire**

**How many more freedoms?**

**Now it's my turn, the head batter**

**Find the fuse before we learn**

**what failure is**

**Fire there**

**There ain't a god to revere; ain't any stars, either**

**But I didn't stop wishing**

**Fearing regret, I stop in my tracks**

**Fire there**

**What I want to forget is what I can't forget**

**The path to Heaven is connected from Hell**

**A small spark is changing into flames**

**Edgy, I keep on chasing**

**Go to future**

**Only several centimeters towards the place I've aimed for**

**I'll go ahead. Will I stop? No, no, no...**

**Punishing my heart and giving up when I'm reprimanded**

**What could we say in the future then? No, no, no...**

**I'll go ahead. Will I stop? No, no, no...**

**C'mon, it's your turn. You've bid your time**

**You've got a lot of ability**

**Overflowing in a soul covered with fuel**

**Fire there**

**Gambling existence, one round**

**Will you die or live? That's all up to you**

**Doubt what everyone knows**

**Fire there**

**From here, how many freedoms can we live on in?**

**Not once a year, but aging every second**

**In a time limit**

**Only several centimeters towards the place I've aimed for**

**I'll go ahead. Will I stop? No, no, no...**

**Even where I can't reach, even beyond the distance**

**I'll go ahead. Will I stop? No, no, no...**

**I'll go ahead. Will I stop? No, no, no...**

**Super (FIRE)**

**A spirit's (FIRE)**

**At high speed (FIRE)**

**1.2 (FIRE)**

**My soul's liberation**

**We gotta freedom**

**I'm showing you, heart**

**Super (FIRE)**

**A spirit's (FIRE)**

**At high speed (FIRE)**

**1.2 (FIRE)**

**My soul's liberation**

**We gotta freedom**

**I'm showing you, heart**

**From here, I'm sure we can live on with many freedoms**

**The day we give up won't be the end of our long journey,**

**but the beginning of the worst future**

**Only several centimeters towards the place I've aimed for**

**I'll go ahead. Will I stop? No, no, no...**

**Punishing my heart and giving up when I'm reprimanded**

**What could we say in the future then? No, no, no...**

**How long can you think**

**about it creatively?**

**Slowly and steadily rush**

**Keep holding that contradiction**

**The time you just wait for something should be short**

**I've come here, and the greatest weapon**

**is all the shame I wrote as bitter memories**

**There's no true freedom**

**In that case, this is a journey to deny that**

**The music ends abruptly.**

"That was amazing!" Ryouko gushed. 

**121045**

Numbers? Why would those be there?

**We see EMMA, age 11, asleep, time has passed. A clock is heard ticking. We are given a view of part of the roof of a building. This is Grace Field House. Back in the House, we see a grandfather clock. Back outside we hear the grandfather clock chime.**

**EMMA, now awake, stands on her bed, arms in the air: Everyone, wakeup! Or you'll be late for breakfast!**

**The camera pans over two children, a green-haired girl, GILDA, and a smaller black-haired boy, THOMA.**

**EMMA and GILDA are shown helping the other children get dressed. Children run around playing.**

**GILDA, frustrated: Hey! Stop messing around and get ready!**

**CHILD, offscreen, distressed: Emma, I can't get my shoes on!**

**CHILD2, offscreen, distressed: I can't tie my shoelaces!**

**EMMA: Okay, hold on. Don't cry.**

**Children run through the halls of Grace Field house. The camera pans on two children. A tall, tan, kid, DON, and a small pigtailed girl, CONNIE, holding a stuffed bunny, LITTLE BUNNY.**

**EMMA, lively: Good morning, Don, Connie, and Little Bunny!**

**DON: Morning!**

**CONNIE: Morning, Emma.**

"Aww, she's adorable!" Ryouko gushed. She giggled nervously when she noticed the looks she was receiving. Truthfully, she didn't know why she was there. What importance could she possibly have to the future of her world?

**EMMA, running through the doors carrying a small tan child, PHIL.**

**EMMA: Look we made it!**

**Two boys, THOMA, and a blonde one, LANNION, run through the doors crashing into EMMA who drops PHIL. EMMA turns to the boys who smile sheepishly. EMMA chuckles darkly, turning to the boys with a playful glare. GILDA watches them, looking confused.**

**EMMA, mischievously: Watch out... I'm going to eat you!**

**EMMA chases the boys back into the hall, laughing joyfully.**

Emma flinched when she heard what she'd said. The other children shifted uncomfortably. Norman's breath hitched and Ray stared blankly at the screen. Emma's breath picked. ~~**Why had she said that? Did this mean she was like Mom? What about her family? What would Don, Gilda, Ray, and Norman think of her now? What about the other kids? They didn't kno** ~~-An arm wrapped around her shoulders and a different hand squeezed her shoulder. As Emma turned to the person who held her, she vaguely registered that hand gripping her shoulder felt... odd. It was too firm to be a normal hand. Ed leaned forward. "Hey, take a deep breath." Emma did so, slowly. "Better?" She nodded and turned back to the screen, oblivious to the concern of the others in the theatre.

**GILDA, affectionately: They're at it again.**

"Wait, so that's normal?" Kunikida frowned.

Gilda nodded, "Emma's always been very playful, which is why we usually leave her to get the more energetic of our siblings to breakfast." He nodded and filed away the information. Interesting.

**EMMA catches the boys nuzzling their heads lovingly. PHIL throws himself on EMMA'S head. The whole of them laughing. NORMAN and RAY, 11, enter the room. NORMAN is pushing a tray of food, while RAY carries a pitcher. EMMA runs back in holding PHIL.**

**EMMA: Morning, Norman! And Ray!**

**NORMAN, cordially: Good morning, Emma.**

**RAY, relaxed: Morning, Emma.**

**NORMAN, amused: You're so energetic. Even though you haven't eaten breakfast yet.**

**RAY, mockingly: How old are you again? Five?**

**EMMA, annoyed: I'm 11, same as you guys! And one of the oldest here!**

Emma whined and pouted amidst the laughter in the theatre.

"Well, he doesn't hold back at all", Dorothea commented.

Fallon grinned, "Yeah, no kidding."

**A beautiful woman, black-haired, laughs. This is ISABELLA/MOM.**

**EMMA, moaning: You're laughing too, Mom?**

**ISABELLA/MOM, sweetly: Emma, can you give me a hand here?**

**EMMA hugs ISABELLA/MOM, protesting all the while. ISABELLA/MOM is entertained by her.**

**EMMA, frustrated: But, Mom! I'm going to redo my entrance from the beginning!**

**ISABELLA/MOM, objecting: Why? I love that part about you?**

**EMMA, pleased: That I'm five years old on the inside?**

**ISABELLA/MOM, explaining: The part where you care deeply about your family.**

**EMMA, content: Thanks, Mom!**

Emma stared at the screen. How much of that was a lie. Was all of it a lie? Or just the part about the adoption? She knew there was no point wondering. Especially since her focus should've been on the screen. But it was hard. Now, that they were no longer there, actively trying to escape it was all she could do not to let her thoughts run on in a bad direction.

**ISABELLA/MOM rings a bell and the camera pans over three tables full of children waiting to eat. ISABELLA/MOM sits at the head of the middle table.**

**ISABELLA/MOM, loving: Good morning, my dear children. Let's give thanks that all 38 of you siblings can live here happily, today, too...**

**The children and ISABELLA/MOM are silent for a few moments as they pray.**

**ISABELLA/MOM, softly: Thank you for the food.**

**ALL CHILDREN, softly: Thank you for the food.**

Havoc let out a slow whistle. "That's a lot of kids." A round of agreements filled the room.

**Close up on EMMA's neck revealing numbers, 63194. Close up on NORMAN's neck, 22194. We get a brief glimpse of PHIL's neck, 38-. Close up on RAY's neck, 81194. Close up on CONNIE's neck as she's fed by ISABELLA/MOM, 482-.**

Atsushi shuddered. Why were there numbers on their necks? Yuliy frowned and Ed and Al gave each other looks. That was... weird.

**ISABELLA/MOM: Here. Open wide.**

**CONNIE, gently: It's delicious!**

**ISABELLA/MOM: You're acting like a little baby, Connie.**

Although the scene was cute. The focus on the tattoos left them too unsettled to react. None of them liked where this was going. But, it's not like they wouldn't find out eventually, so the most they could do was watch.

**Close up on a calendar reveals the date, the 12th, circled with CONNIE's name.**

"It's the date!" Ed shouted.

"What?" Emma asked.

Ed ignored the stares he was receiving from everyone and grinned proudly, "The name of the episode. It's the date."

"He's right", Ray said. "Connie's shipping date was the 12th of the year 2045."

2045? the thought echoed through the theatre. Though a select few ignored that in favor of filing away the words 'shipping date' for later examination.

**CONNIE, offscreen, hopeful: I can, right, especially today?**

**ISABELLA/MOM, consoling: Yes.**

Nobody felt like gushing over Connie.

**ROBOTIC FEMALE VOICE: Age 11, type 1. Answer each question in 9 seconds. We will now begin.**

**A buzzing sounds through the headphones as the Camera pans over LANNION and DON, both determined.**

**Electronic music plays as the camera slides over all the children, sitting over desks. The children drag plastic pencils over the screens of their desks. One child wilts as she fails to answer a question. The camera pans over more children, THOMA, RAY, NORMAN, EMMA, and GILDA. A buzzard sounds the headphones and GILDA hits her head on her desk with a dejected sigh.**

Gilda pouted, "Y'know I could've gotten more of those if we were given more time."

"Well, there's no use whining about it. It's already happened." Nat rolled his eyes.

**THOMA, cheerful: Well, I think I got at least half!**

**OTHER CHILDREN, amazed: That much? Wow!**

**CONNIE, dejectedly: I'm jealous. I didn't get most of it.**

"There's nothing wrong with that" Kyouka said, smiling.

**ISABELLA/MOM, calmly, proudly: Are you all ready for the results? Norman. Ray. Emma. You three did an amazing job. You got all of them right! Perfect scores!**

"That's amazing. And in such a short time, too." Fallon grinned. There were some amazing people in the universe. And some of them were kids, apparently.

**EMMA, cheering: Yay!**

There was laughter around the room. Pretty much everyone was charmed by Emma. Not that surprising, honestly. Like, how can you not like Emma? It's impossible. She's amazing. Just amazing.

**LANNION, offscreen as the Camera pans over NORMAN and RAY: Those three are different, huh? Norman is a genius who has the best brains. And Ray, an intellect who can compete against Norman's genius.**

The group tilted their heads, contemplating the intelligence of the two. Ranpo turned a studious gaze back on Ray, who was smirking. Norman had gained the attention of Willard, who seemed to be thinking about... something. Norman himself was too busy staring at Ray to notice. 

**The Camera stills over EMMA.**

**LANNION, offscreen: Emma has amazing athletic skills, and her learning ability allows her to stay close to the other two.**

Emma grinned, straightening up in her chair proudly. Riza allowed her gaze to fall on Emma. Hmm. Her eyes snapped to Roy who wasn't even trying to hide his amusement. "What."

"Nothing." She narrowed her eyes but turned back to screen when he didn't cave.

**ANNA, offscreen, earnestly: They say the House has never had the three kids at this level together before.**

Is that so? Atsushi frowned. Something about this still seemed wrong. If this was an Orphanage, and he was pretty sure it was, why would the kids have number tattoos? Why would they test the kids in a short time frame? Why would there be a separate entity in contact with the Orphanage? Why would their test scores matter so much? Nothing about this was adding up. Little did he know, Atsushi wasn't the only one with concerns. Dazai had noticed his increasing anxieties and was paying more attention now, too. Ed and Al had noticed something was wrong, but neither of them was familiar enough with how Orphanages were run to confirm any suspicions. Ryouko had noticed as well. She was being raised as the future Head of a business that dealt in foreign exchange, and the emphasis on the tattoos, date, and test scores matched far too well with serial numbers, date of shipping, and product quality for her liking. And the subject of shipping... hadn't Ray said the same thing? If Connie was being adopted-as had been implied beforehand-why would he refer to it as a 'shipping date'? She had a sinking suspicion she knew where this was going. "I really hope I'm wrong", she murmured. She didn't see the curious looks of the Jaegers next to her. As for Roy and Riza, they'd already mostly figured it out. And they didn't like the conclusions they were lead to.

**Close up on DON looking significantly more irritated the more everyone talks about RAY, NORMAN, and EMMA.**

**ANNA, offscreen as DON growls: No wonder Mom is happy with them.**

**DON, competitively: Norman! I challenge you to a game of tag!**

There was silence. "What?", Atsushi said, momentarily caught off guard. Don flushed, burying his head in his hands.

Anna answered for him, "When we're done with testing, we usually play a more hands-on game, like tag or hide and seek or a combination of the two afterward. The person who's it is usually the person with the highest score. Since we can't beat them in testing, we try to one-up them in who can hide from them or keep away from them until they give up. Most of the time it's Ray, and a lot of the time it's Norman and Emma. We've never managed to outlast any of them though. We did manage to beat Emma once, but that was years ago when we were younger." There was silence as everyone stared at her. She swallowed and shrank down into her seat, avoiding everyone's stares.

**NORMAN huffs, slightly amused. Outside the House, the children all run away from NORMAN and RAY. NORMAN stands on a hill while RAY sits against a tree.**

**THE CHILDREN, offscreen: Run, run!**

There were chuckles from around the room

**NORMAN looks to the side, waiting patiently. RAY looks up from the book he's reading to pull out a stopwatch. He looks at it for a moment, then looks to NORMAN approvingly. NORMAN smiles, then takes off running. RAY sighs, turning to his book.**

There were knowing looks thrown in the direction of the two. "Oooo", Emma grinned, then cackled at the embarrassed squawk Ray made. Norman just buried his bright red face in his hands. There was a round of teasing thrown at the two from the more mischievous kids and teens in the room.

**Close up on a group of children watching the hill where NORMAN was. One child, A red-haired boy, NAT, looks to the side, studying a line of trees closely. NORMAN sneaks up on NAT, then grabs his shouldering startling the group.**

Amused chuckles filled the room. And the children who caught by Norman all made 'Oh well, what can you do expressions'.

**DON, loudly: Come get me, Norman! We'll outrun you this time for sure! Right, Connie?**

**DON turns to CONNIE who stands behind him with LITTLE BUNNY.**

**CONNIE, sincerely: Thank you for helping me, Don.**

**DON, amused, honestly: You don't have to thank me! I'll always help you! Anytime, anywhere you're in need!**

Don's breath hitched. **He had promised. Did Connie feel betrayed? Or lied to? She'd died, shipped off to be demon food, and he'd promised to be there for her and help no matter what. He hadn't been there. Did she hate him now? Wherever she was?** He took a deep breath, **No, now wasn't the time to think about that. He could think about it later. When he was alone. And less likely to be a burden to anyone**. He didn't see the frown he was being given by Kyouka, who sat next t him.

**CONNIE giggles, shushing DON. DON looks at the ground, where footprints litter the dirt.**

**DON, examining, decidedly: Based on the size of these shoe's footsteps... You let your guard down, Norman!**

"I'm not so sure about that." Willard smiled.

Don let out a dramatic groan, "Kill me now."

"Nah, we need you alive." Ray joked.

"EH!?" Emma drew back. "A positive joke! Who are you and what have you done with Ray?!"

"Emma now is not the time for your idiocy."

"Never mind, all is right with the world."

**CONNIE looks behind her and DON, gasping, delighted. DON startles at this and shoots around. NORMAN is behind them.**

Don groaned sliding out of his seat and to the floor in a dramatic heap. Much to the amused and impressed people around him. Not many people could do that so fluidly. Then again those people weren't 11.

**NORMAN, thoughtfully: Don, you always let your guard down. Don't I always tell you? Your weakness is that you make quick judgments and lose your cool.**

"Y'know, he's not wrong." Philip.

"There's no real way to tell those footprints were made by Norman." Roy.

"There are also other kids there around the same height and size as Norman, so their shoe size would be about the same as well." Ranpo.

"And that's not even mentioning the fact that you're all wearing the same kind of shoe." Ed, rudely.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I need to pay more attention!" Don.

**NORMAN runs off to continue searching. DON sighs as CONNIE watches obliviously. The Camera pans over to reveal most of the children have been found.**

"Wow, that's a lot of kids found", Feury said.

"And only in about five minutes, too", Gilda pouted.

"Seriously!" Al gasped.

**DON, grudgingly: Dang, I got caught. What the heck? He practically got everyone.**

**NAT, unsurprised: Well, it's Norman after all.**

**ANNA, contentedly: The only survivor is...**

**GILDA, excited: ...just Emma.**

"So, I'm guessing that Norman finding you all is the norm in these sorts of games?" Philip asked. The resounding Yes that echoed from the Grace Field children left everyone feeling amused.

**Close up on RAY's hand holding the stopwatch. Showing how much time is left. He looks to the forest, where NORMAN and EMMA are still playing. EMMA is shown running. Breaths steady, she isn't anywhere close to slowing down. A glance to the sideshows us that NORMAN has caught up with her a few feet away. EMMA speeds up to get ahead of NORMAN then takes a flying leap over a large gorge that stops NORMAN in his tracks.**

"Holy-"

"How did you even-"

"That gorge was huge-"

**NORMAN smiles, unsurprised and pleased by the challenge. NORMAN walks by, a giant stopwatch behind him. The stopwatch stays as he balances across a log, and looks around the area. Up in the tree, EMMA watches NORMAN through the leaves. EMMA smiles, satisfied and sure of her win. NORMAN seemingly inattentive starts to walk away only to trip over a rock. He hits the ground. EMMA horrified hops down the tree to where NORMAN is still collapsed.**

"Oh my- are you okay?" Fallon asked. Instead of answering, Norman just grinned at him.

**EMMA, panicked: Norman!**

"Yes, go to your friend." Still Fallon.

**NORMAN looks back at her, amused: I was pretending.**

**EMMA, playfully betrayed: No fair! I was worried about you!**

"Oh." Also Fallon.

**NORMAN, affectionately: Emma, your weakness is that you're nice.**

**Cut to the tree where NORMAN, RAY, and EMMA are hanging out together. EMMA is throwing a tantrum on the ground.**

"Didn't you say you were 11, not 5? So why are you acting like the latter?", Roy said.

Riza frowned, "Sir, stop antagonizing the 11-year-old."

**EMMA, whining: He caught me again! Why? So frustrating!**

**RAY, asking: Question. What does Norman have that you don't?**

**EMMA, playfully clever: The ability to plan ahead? Calmness? Overwhelming intelligence?**

"Y'know, those are actually some excellent points right there."

**RAY, emphatically: Strategy. If it's about physical ability, you have the upper hand. But Norman is strong up here. Like no other.**

"He's not wrong. He caught you pretty quickly even though you used your athletic ability to keep you ahead of him, but he knows you well enough to use your own care against you", Dazai said. "That's not an easy thing to do."

**RAY points to his head as he speaks.**

**RAY continues: You're playing tag. It's a game where you compete with strategy.**

**EMMA, doubtful: A simple game of tag?**

"Tag doesn't really seem like the kind of game where strategy is relevant", Al said.

Ray sat up, "When a person plays tag, their goal is to keep away from the person chasing them until they're caught or the person chasing them gives up. To keep away from the person who's It you have to good places to hide when you need rest and if they find you, you need to be able to get away from them. If you're the one who's it, you need to be able to track down your opponent and you need to be able to get them to give themselves up. Both the person who's It and the person who's not It needs to be able to use strategy and resourcefulness to win."

**RAY, exasperated: It's like chess, but using your entire body. Isn't that right, Norman?**

**NORMAN, conceding: Yeah, but you're a better tactician than me, Ray.**

**RAY, skeptical: You overestimate me.**

**EMMA, considering: Reading the enemy's moves, huh?**

**NORMAN, thinking: But we're not even close when it comes to Mom.**

**EMMA, factually: That's true. We've never beaten her at chess.**

"Why does that seem important?" Breda asked.

"Because it is", Ray said.

"How?" Breda's question has never been answered.

**NORMAN and RAY both smile, but RAY is hesitant.**

_Why would he hesitate to smile? What's up with that?_ Riza thought.

**DON, commanding: Norman! I want a rematch! Next game, everyone will be it except you!**

**EMMA, amazed: Whoa!**

**GILDA, annoyed: He's losing his cool again.**

**NORMAN sits up readily. We pan over a clearing, where the other children are wandering around, searching for NORMAN. In the forest GILDA, ANNA, and PHIL look for NORMAN. We see EMMA walking slowly. EMMA becomes distracted by something to her right. EMMA walks towards it. Her steps seem to echo loudly as she does so. She stops in front of a fence about two feet high. She looks to her left where NORMAN can be seen staring at the same fence. NORMAN looks at EMMA. EMMA walks over to NORMAN and places her hand on his shoulder.**

"Well, that doesn't seem very fair", Gilda said. "If we only one because you got distracted then that means we didn't really win at all."

"I know!" Phil shouted, "We should play again after this episode is over! Everyone here has to play with though."

"Phil!" Gilda reprimanded. "You can't just tell people what to do."

"It's okay. I certainly wouldn't mind playing after this", Ryouko smiled.

"Besides, I've been sitting for too long. I'm starting to lose feeling in my legs." Agreements from almost everyone permeated the room.

**NORMAN smiles: You caught me.**

**EMMA, softened: "You can't go near there. No matter what."**

**NORMAN, granting: Yeah, Mom is always telling us that.**

"Why? That fence barely reaches your kneecaps. And you've been living there for years, if there was something dangerous in there wouldn't you have seen it?" Ryouko frowned. The children all stared at her. Except for Norman, Ray, Gilda, Don, and Emma, none of them could truly comprehend what she was trying to point out. That Mom had been lying.

**RAY, dubious: That's obviously a lie.**

**NORMAN, bewildered: What do you mean?**

**RAY: Well, just look at it. The fence is low, and I don't see anything threatening.**

"Exactly! There's nothing there that looks even remotely dangerous."

**EMMA: But if Mom is telling us that...**

**RAY: You really love Mom, after all.**

**EMMA, concerned: But, everyone--**

"Y'know, we never did find out what you going to say", Norman said.

"I can't really remember myself", Emma confessed.

**DON, annoyed: Hey! Are you sure you guys are playing tag?**

**GILDA, hesitant: Oh, is the game over already?**

"Yes!" Gilda pouted. "But, it wasn't a fair win."

"We've been over this already, Gilda."

"I know. But, it still bothers me."

"Maybe so, but we've already come up with a solution."

"That's true."

**NORMAN, appeasing: We should call it a day. If we're late, Mom will be worried.**

**DON, thoughtfully: We'll eventually leave this place, huh?**

"Obviously, I mean, It is an Orphanage", Breda said. 

**NAT, asserting: This is an orphanage. Of course, we'll leave eventually. Before we turn 12.**

Atsushi frowned, "That's not how most Orphanages work."

Nat scowled, "What does that mean?"

"In most Orphanages the older you are, the less likely your chances of getting adopted become. Typically, people want younger kids. Sometimes teenagers get adopted, but that's really rare. Most of the time, if you're 11 to 17 you won't get adopted at all." The Grace Field children froze. None of them knew what to make of that. Norman and Emma stared blankly at the screen, that... made sense actually.

**GILDA, concerned: You know what? We don't receive letters from anyone.**

**EMMA, curious: Letters?**

**GILDA: You know, after they leave the House, no one writes us.**

"Do they promise to write?" Willard asked.

"Yeah, every time they leave they say they'll write to us, but the letters never come", Anna frowned. "We've known each other forever. Why wouldn't they write us after promising to?"

**NORMAN, soothingly: I'm sure they're being considerate to their foster parents.**

**DON, urgently: But, we've all been together ever since we were born! Even if we're not related by blood, we're truer siblings than most!**

**GILDA: They must be having so much fun every day that they've forgotten about the house.**

**EMMA: Then it's fine, right? I'm happy for them.**

"That's very sweet, Emma", Dorothea said.

"Thank you." Emma's voice cracked and she took a deep shaking breath. Watching this interaction, looking back on it with the information she knew now she almost wished she could go back to that time of ignorance. She couldn't do that though. And she didn't want to. If she was as ignorant now as she was then, she wouldn't be able to save her siblings. And that wasn't an option.

**GILDA, impatiently: I want to go outside, too!**

**NAT: What would you do outside?**

**GILDA: Isn't it obvious? Get new clothes!**

"Really?" Kunikida asked. Gilda just glared at him and jabbed her finger at the screen.

**DON: Not again.**

**GILDA: I mean, come on! We only have this one uniform! I read in books that the outside world has so many different types of clothes! I want to wear them all!**

I leaned over the balcony with a grin, "Y'know Gilda, If you want I could set up a couple of rooms filled with clothes and accessories for you guys to change into."

"Really?"

"Really" I grinned.

"Besides, time may be frozen outside, but in here it passes, so you'll need clothes to change into anyway."

"Awesome! But", Gilda hesitated. "We don't really know what kinds of things we would wear. I mean, I want to wear everything, but I don't know about the rest of us."

"I could help." Ryouko smiled.

"Really?"

"Sure, It can't be too hard. And I've always liked fashion anyways. If I weren't being raised to take over the family business I'd probably be a designer."

"The family business?", Chuuya asked. The other Port Mafia member and the ADA all straightened, paying extra attention.

"My father runs a shipping company." The ADA relaxed.

**THOMA: I want to eat delicious food!**

**DON: I want to go on a date with a cute girl.**

**GILDA: Geez, that was rude.**

**DON: Oh, that's not what I meant.**

"Then what did you mean?"

"Well, uh."

**PHIL: I want to see a train!**

"Brother and I travel by train all the time, so you'll probably get to see some." Al

"We've also been traveling by train as well, which means you'll get to see a lot of them." Philip

**DON: That's a good one!**

"I stand by that statement!" Don declared.

**EMMA: What about you, Norman?**

**NORMAN: I want to go to different places, and see things I've never seen before.**

"Since brother and I travel, you'll get to see lots of new places." 

**EMMA: Good idea! And you, Ray?**

**RAY: Once I get outside, well, I'd have to survive first.**

"That's an interesting way to look at things. But, considering what you said earlier, after you 'survive', you'll become an author or a detective, right?" Ranpo asked, once again considering Ray. _I could use an apprentice_.

"Yeah, or, as Norman said, I'll do both."

**DON: Such a downer. What about you, Emma?**

**EMMA: Me?**

**RAY: You want to ride a giraffe, right?**

"So, that's what she meant!" Kyouka exclaimed.

**EMMA: Did I say that? Well, I don't really want to leave. I want to stay here forever.**

**DON: Hey, that's kind of unfair.**

"You're not wrong, but you're not right either", Riza said. "There's nothing wrong with her not wanting to leave home, but she can't stay there forever. Eventually, she'll have to leave."

**EMMA: But, I'm so happy right now. Right?**

"Yeah, but that won't last long", Ed pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked needlessly.

"You might be happy there right now, but you won't be the whole time. You'll want to leave at some point."

"Yeah... that's true."

**RAY: Happy, huh?**

Roy frowned, _why did he sound like that?_

**CONNIE: I promise to write! I'll write a lot of letters. I'll never forget about everyone. When I leave the house, I want to become a mother like Mom. And then, I'll never abandon any children.**

"Aww, that's sweet", Dazai murmured. He wasn't the only one cooing over Connie. Almost everyone was squealing over her. There were a select few who weren't. Of these few was Edward Elric, who stared at the screen with an unreadable expression. ' _I'll never abandon any children_ ' bounced around in his head. Ever since **~~that Bastard~~** had left he'd decided he wasn't going to have kids. ~~**He was so afraid of becoming like the Bastard. What if**~~ \- "Brother, are you okay?" Ed pulled out of his thoughts, "Uh yeah, I'm okay, Al."

**EMMA: You love Mom very much, don't you?**

**CONNIE: Yeah!**

**The Camera still on the outside of Grace Field House. It is night. ISABELLA/MOM is shown pulling a drawing off the wall. It is signed by CONNIE. She holds it close.**

Emma, Ray, Norman, Don, and Gilda froze. Did that mean... she cared. Ray had a hard time believing that, considering her interactions with him. ~~**Or did she just not care about him at all?**~~

**CONNE: I'm slow, and I wasn't as smart as everyone, but even after I leave, I'll do my best. I'll have Little Bunny so I'll be okay.**

Gilda covered her mouth, fighting back tears, Emma tried to fight her sobs, Ray glared at the ground lips trembling, Norman held his breath eyes closed, tears caught in his lashes, and Don tried to keep what he was feeling from showing, he wasn't doing very well.

**DON, sadly: Connie...**

**CONNIE, sadly: I don't want to leave anymore. I want to stay here!**

**DON, tearing up: Conny! Conny!**

Ray whimpered, ~~**ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtswhydoesithurt**~~ -a hand landed on his head. He looked up. The hand didn't move and Yuliy looked down at him concerned.

**EMMA and DON are both shown on the verge of tears. The door shuts. ISABELLA/MOM and CONNIE are shown towards the gate. ISABELLA/MOM has a lantern that illuminates her face eerily as she hums a lullaby of some sort.**

**CONNIE: What song is that, MOM?**

**ISABELLA/MOM doesn't answer.**

"That's not creepy at all", Philip muttered.

**EMMA walks into the dining room with a broom. When her eyes find Little Bunny sitting on a table.**

**EMMA, dismayed: Connie! You're kidding me!**

"She left it behind!" Ryouko cried out. "You have to get it to her!"

"There might not be time for that. It's highly probable that she's already left."

**NORMAN and GILDA are shown conversing as EMMA runs past them to get to Little Bunny.**

**GILDA: Let's hurry and finish up cleaning. Connie's already gone!**

**EMMA: What should I do?**

"Get it to her!" "You've said that already." Kunikida deadpanned.

"Okay, and..." Ryouko looked at him sassily. The Jaegers looked at each other and then at her, they'd assumed that she was always calm and respectful, so they weren't sure what to make of, well, this.

**RAY: There's still time.**

Kunikida frowned. How would he know that?

**EMMA: Huh?**

**RAY: From the window. I saw the lights on the gate were still on. Mom isn't back yet either, so I don't think Connie has left yet.**

"Those are some excellent observations", Ranpo said.

"It's common sense", Ray insisted, voice cracking. "The lights are only off during the day and at night unless one of us get 'shipped'. Mom doesn't leave the Orphanage, either. Since she wasn't back yet that meant they're still there. Ranpo frowned. He'd heard Ray refer to the adoptions as 'shipping' before.

**NORMAN: Let's hurry, Emma.**

**EMMA: Okay.**

**EMMA and NORMAN run down a hill to the gate. Once they reach it, they stop, hesitant to go any closer.**

"Jeez, that thing's way creepier at night."

**EMMA: "You can't go anywhere near there, no matter what."**

**NORMAN: I know. Let's get scolded together, later.**

Don and Gilda stared at the screen, transfixed by their growing horror. They knew that Norman and Emma had found out they were all food by finding Connie and that Ray had known the whole time. Neither of them was sure they wanted to see exactly how they found out. Ray forced his eyes to stay on the screen. He'd known for years that they were all dying, and it hurt. But, he'd never actually seen how they'd died, not like Norman and Emma had, he didn't understand how that felt, and he wanted to so badly. How was he supposed to help them if he didn't understand?

**The two sneak a peek into the Gate checking that no one there.**

**EMMA: Connie?**

**The two walk-ins slowly. Careful to alert no one to their presence. The two walk through the gate to a truck. Looking around as they do. They come to stop just before the front of the truck.**

**EMMA: Is this the truck that'll take Connie? Actually, I've never seen a vehicle before.**

Yuliy wanted to say something to them about it, but he was stopped by the way they were acting. What happened that they were acting like this?

**The two continue walking. NORMAN to the driver's side and EMMA towards the back. A droplet of water hits the floor grabbing EMMA's attention. At the front of the truck, NORMAN pulls himself up to get a look at the driver's seat. A close-up on the walls reveals a small stream of water trickling along with the bricks. EMMA walks toward the back while NORMAN jumps down.**

**NORMAN: No one's here.**

**EMMA: Maybe she'll find it if we leave it in the back.**

"That's a great idea", Ryouko said softly. She fisted the skirt of her dress. She was more sure than before that her suspicions were correct, but that the situation was worse than she thought.

**NORMAN: Yeah.**

**NORMAN continues to look around as EMMA walks to the opening at the back of the truck. NORMAN starts walking to the door when EMMA drops LITTLE BUNNY. NORMAN looks over at EMMA. We get a close-up on LITTLE BUNNY at EMMA's feet as she backs away from the truck. Breath shaking, eyes wide in terror EMMA seems to choke on air.**

"What happened?" Roy said, sitting ramrod in his chair. "What did you see?" Emma just shook her head sobbing quietly. She turned and buried her face in Ed's side wrapping her arms around him and clinging as tightly as she could. Norman curled up into a ball, sobbing into his legs. Atsushi hesitated then wrapped his arms around Norman, laying his on top of his, but keeping his eyes on the screen. Ray fisted his pants glaring at the screen. Yuliy started running his fingers through Ray's hair. Phil stared at his older siblings seeking comfort from the people next to them (He couldn't Don and Gilda but he was pretty sure they were doing the same) and crawled into the lap of the person next to him. Dazai stared at the small boy who crawled into his lap speechlessly and then awkwardly wrapped his arms around the boy.

**EMMA: N-Norman.**

**NORMAN walks over, concern giving way to weariness as he stops. He steels himself and walks over to investigate what has terrified EMMA. He reaches the back of the truck. Close up as a droplet of water hits the ground. The camera stills on NORMAN'S horrified eyes as he gasps. There's a corpse in the truck. It's CONNIE. There is a bouquet of blood-red flowers seemingly growing out of her.**

Ryouko pulled her hands up to her mouth in horror. She could hear the others reacting much the same way. But what really had her grappling with staying calm and freaking out were the denials of the other orphans. Most of them clearly had no idea what was going on at all, which made her wonder how long the other five (and she was sure it was the five) had known before coming here.

**A MAN's VOICE, muffled: Is someone there? Hey, did you hear a voice just now?**

**The door to the side of them opens as EMMA, NORMAN, and LITTLE BUNNY rush behind the truck. NORMAN gestures down for them to hide under the truck as the voices get closer**

**VOICE 1: If it was a stray cat, I would have caught it and ate it.**

**VOICE 2: You eat things like cats?**

"What the hell does that mean?!" Ed growled.

**Long shadows slid across the floor in front of EMMA and NORMAN. EMMA tried to get a closer look at the people speaking. NORMAN did the same. EMMA choked back a scream. A strange skull-like face with wide circulars eyes slid into view. The creature it belonged to was horribly elongated with long clawed spider-like fingers.**

Horrified cries filled the place. Questions about what it was echoed around the room.

**NORMAN choked back a scream. EMMA and NORMAN recoiled; EMMA shaking her head. The DEMONS lifted CONNIE's corpse dropping it in a container. The DEMONS spoke as NORMAN and EMMA try to make sense of what's in front of them.**

**DEMON 1: It looks so delicious. Human flesh is the best.**

**NORMAN, disbelieving: No...**

**DEMON 1: Damn! Can't I at least have a fingertip!**

**DEMON2: You idiot! It's valuable merchandise! It's not something the likes of us can have. All of the human flesh produced on this farm are high-quality meat intended for the rich.**

"I knew it!" Ryouko cried. "But, I didn't want to be right!" The Jaegers looked at her curiously. They remembered what she'd said about not wanting to be right. Yuliy who hadn't heard what she'd said before glanced at her curiously. What had she figured out? Everyone else tried to wrap their heads around the words 'human flesh' and 'high-quality meat' and 'farm'.

**EMMA, desperate: Where's Mom?**

"I think I know", Dazai muttered, hugging Phil closer to him. His name was Phil, right? He could ask later.

**NORMAN shushes her. The sounds of metal echo out as the DEMONS finish loading up.**

**DEMON 2: Is the Gupna done?**

**DEMON 3: Mostly done, sir.**

**EMMA peaks out from under the truck to get a better look. DEMON 2 is examining a clipboard.**

**DEMON 2: Another six-year-old... lately we've been shipping out normal-quality ones. But, it looks like we'll soon harvest some high-quality ones. Isabella.**

**NORMAN and EMMA's heads turn in horror at ISABELLA/MOM's name.**

**ISABELLA/MOM: Yes.**

"What?" The cry of disbelief was echoed around the room. 

**DEMON 2: Make the preparations to pluck these three with full scores.**

"Wait, that's Ray, Norman, and Emma!" Anna's exclamation had everyone in the theatre tensing up even more. Atsushi held Norman even tighter. Norman had stopped sobbing and returned the hug. Yuliy wrapped an arm around Ray, and Ed squeezed Emma tighter. It hurt a little, but Emma preferred it over being let go.

**ISABELLA/MOM, gravely: Understood.**

**DEMON 2, alert: Wait. I smell something.**

"Oh no..."

**It stalks towards the truck to investigate.**

"Get out of there!" Ryouko wrung her hands, bouncing her leg nervously.

**It kneels down to look seeing LITTLE BUNNY. The Camera cuts to NORMAN and EMMA, tripping over their feet and out of breath.**

**NORMAN: Emma!**

**EMMA: Is this place a farm? Are we all... food? No, it can't be. Everyone found foster homes. And Mom... It was the usual, kind Mom, right? We were mistaken. That girl wasn't Connie, right?**

"Oh, honey..." Riza murmured.

**NORMAN: It was Connie.**

**EMMA lets out a heart-wrenching scream, that echoed through the farm.**

Ryouko broke down and she wasn't the only one either. Emma's scream was the breaking point for almost everyone. Even the Port Mafia was in tears. Emma was a charming and sweet girl and this... this was... It was painful.

**We cut to inside where RAY greets them with a lamp.**

**RAY: Welcome back. How did it go?**

**NORMAN: We didn't make it.**

**They walk up the stairs to the bedrooms, RAY watching them go.**

**EMMA: Were we raised just to be eaten by something?**

**NORMAN: Let's escape, Emma. We have to leave this place. Don't worry. We can do it. You, me, and Ray. If it's the three of us...**

**EMMA: It might be impossible.**

Nobody had anything to say to that. Was she really giving up? That seemed out of character. 

**The Camera pans over the other children, who are sleeping.**

**EMMA: I can't leave them here. Otherwise, they'll definitely get killed. I don't want any more of my family to die.**

**NORMAN, determined: It's not impossible. It'll be okay. Let's run away. Together, with everyone.**

**EMMA, unsure, epiphany: B-but, how? How will we kids run away from those monsters? Strategy. It'll be the same as playing Tag.**

"Yes, that's a great idea!" Ryouko nodded rapidly in agreement with Kyouka's claim as were other people. They were grasping at anything to give them a feeling of hope.

**NORMAN, confident: That's right. We'll find a way for all of us to survive.**

**EMMA nods and the Camera switches to RAY, looking contemplatively out the window.**

Why would the camera stop on Ray? Ranpo wondered. And he wasn't the only one either. The others were wondering the same as well.

**The Camera pans over Grace Field House for just a moment. Then jump-cuts to ISABELLA/MOM staring down at LITTLE BUNNY with an inhuman expression.**

There were yelps across the room. No one had been expecting the jumpscare or the image of Mom holding Little Bunny.

"I think that game of tag is going to have to wait", Ryouko said.

I leaned over the balcony, "There's a hallway lined with bedrooms over there." I pointed to the left of the room where a door was. Dazai stood, lifting a sleeping Phil, While Atsushi and Ed did the same with Norman and Emma. Ray grabbed Yuliy's sleeve and I watched as everyone filed out to the bedrooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the subject of when I took them all. The Sirius the Jeager cast is from before the vampires attack the Hanada household, but while Yuliy is there. The Grace Field children are from after Sister Krone shows up and before they trick her into giving the other children the information about the farm. The Port Mafia and ADA is from right after Kyouka switches sides. And Team Mustang and the Elric bros are from right after they discover the fifth laboratory but before they go there, so Hughes is still alive.

**Author's Note:**

> I won't be able to post the next chapters for awhile. I'm going through a really hard time right now. Sorry. This also turned out to be a lot shorter than I intended. Oh well.


End file.
